Barrett Jackson Taking The Northeast By Storm
Cruising down the 395 on my way to Barrett Jackson’s introductory event being held in the Northeast. One of the largest automotive auctions around, it was being accommodated at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. Wednesday was my day of choice so that I could avoid a flood of people who would be swarming the magnificent muscle cars that go across the auction block the next day. I was excited to be able to get a clear view of the cars for Facebook Live. Additionally being able to experience and see firsthand how an event of this magnitude was set up, piqued my interest. There were many people that I knew were going to be there later in the week and I wanted to give them a sneak preview before the weekend.
Security allowed me access to the arena where they were assembling the stage and seating. It was amazing to see all of the hard work that was being completed to put this auction on. All of the directions for staging and cables were neatly organized so that the production crew of at least 200 people was able to focus on their specific task.
Being my first visit to Mohegan Sun, I had to check everything out. I enjoyed the sights and all the shops. With the camera in hand and my new 14-24 mm lens, I wanted to snap some interesting photos of the gorgeous décor, art, and elaborate visuals that the casino had displayed. If I go again, I would love to take my wife to the Margaritaville restaurant as it stood out from all the other dining experiences for me! This pre-event was great to experience. I had spent time watching the behind scenes and left to start my 2.5-hour drive home.
That night I received many inquiries about if I would be attending on Thursday for the actual auction. I was originally going to work from home, tying up past projects. However, I changed my mind and I decided to attend. I gave Matthew Keefe a call to see if he wanted to join. Not only was he able to go with me, but I was able to land him a media pass so he could go where I went. Our first stop was the media center. As we got closer, we could see that Velocity TV had their production equipment including monitors with many viewing angles, cameras, and cables that led to the big motor homes. Matt was thrilled to see the production end of the show. We were able to go behind the stage and to the side of the auction, seeing it occur in a profile view. All in all, Matt got to feel the excitement of having a media pass and seeing the places where the public is not allowed.
Steve Leahy, an incredibly talented artist who uses waterborne automotive paint to create miniature-scale pieces of art with immense detail was at the show. I enjoy running into him at the events to see photographs I have captured modified into masterpieces. http://stevenleahy.com
It is important to know that almost all of these shots are taken with the 14-24 mm lens. This event was used for me to experiment and learn the strengths and weaknesses of the lens. I would not recommend this lens for everyday shooting as if not taken at the right angle can cause distortion. Keeping it to the details.
